Conventionally, there is a known specimen analyzing apparatus that is capable of: first, dispensing a specimen, which is contained in a specimen container having been transported by a transporting device to an aspirating position, into a cuvette disposed within the specimen analyzing apparatus; thereafter, dispensing a part of the specimen previously dispensed into the cuvette, into another cuvette within the specimen analyzing apparatus; and then optically measuring the specimen in this another cuvette.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,129 discloses such a specimen analyzing apparatus as above, which includes: a transporting device for transporting a rack holding sample containers, each of which contains a specimen; a first turntable for holding stock containers; first dispensing means configured to dispense, using a first pipette, a specimen from a sample container into a stock container held by the first turntable; a second turntable for holding analyzing containers; second dispensing means configured to dispense, using a second pipette, a part of the specimen having been dispensed into the stock container held by the first turntable, into an analyzing container held by the second turntable; analyzing stages for measuring light intensity of scattered light or transmitted light by emitting light to specimens in analyzing containers; a first chucking finger, capable of holding a stock container or analyzing container, for supplying these containers to the first turntable and the second turntable; and a second chucking finger for transferring an analyzing container held by the second turntable to an analyzing stage.
In the specimen analyzing apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,129, a specimen is first dispensed, by the first dispensing means, from a sample container into a stock container held by the first turntable, and the second dispensing means dispenses a part of the specimen contained in the stock container, into an analyzing container held by the second turntable. In this manner, the specimen partially remains in the stock container held by the first turntable. Then, when the specimen needs to be examined again, the specimen analyzing apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,129 automatically searches the first turntable and finds the stock container that contains the partial specimen, and the second dispensing means dispenses the specimen in the stock container into another analyzing container held by the second turntable. Then, the specimen is analyzed again on an analyzing stage.
As described above, in the technique disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,129, a sufficient amount of specimen for examination and re-examination thereof is dispensed from a sample container into a stock container by the first dispensing means, so that re-examination can be performed promptly when requested. A necessary amount of specimen for examination is dispensed from the stock container into an analyzing container by the second dispensing means. This technique is excellent in terms of being able to perform re-examination very readily.
However, U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,129 does not disclose, for example, how to meet a need regarding examination as described below. For instance, some examination items do not require re-examination in some examination facilities. Accordingly, there is a need for speedily performing examinations while securing precision thereof even in the case where consecutive measurement is performed to a large number of specimens which include specimens to be examined for examination items that require re-examinations, and specimens to be examined only for examination items that do not require re-examinations, are mixed.
Further, the sample containers used herein are those having a cap attached thereto, such as vacuum blood collection tubes, and those without a cap. In order to precisely aspirate a predetermined amount of specimen from a sample container having a cap attached thereto, it is necessary to perform a complex operation, for example, releasing pressure from the inside of the sample container and then aspirating the specimen, which is time consuming. Thus, there is a need for speedily performing examinations even if containers having a cap attached thereto and containers without a cap are mixed. However, U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,129 does not disclose how to meet such a need regarding examination.